Friday, February 25, 2011

Believing Against Hope

Away, my unbelieving fear!
Fear shall in me no more have place;
My Saviour doth not yet appear --
He hides the brightness of his face;
But shall I therefore let him go,
And basely to the tempter yield?
No, in the strength of Jesus, no,
I never will give up my shield.

Although the vine its fruit deny,
Although the olive yield no oil,
The with'ring fig trees droop and die,
The field's elude the tiller's toil:
The empty stall no herd afford,
And perish all the bleating race;
Yet will I triumph in the Lord,
The God of my salvation praise.

In hope, believing against hope,
Jesus, my Lord, my God I claim;
Jesus, my strength, shall lift me up;
Salvation is in Jesus' name:
To me he soon shall bring it nigh;
My soul shall then outstrip the wind;
On wings of love mount up on high,
And leave the world and sin behind.

Author Unknown


Thursday, February 24, 2011

Entire Consecration

Cherry Blossoms, Duke Gardens. LDF


Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be, swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice, and let me sing always, only for my King.

Take my lips, and let them be fill'd with messages from Thee;
Take my moments and my days; Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my will, and make it Thine; It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own, it shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord I pour at Thy feet its treasure store!
Take myself, and I will be ever, only all for Thee!

Wash me in the Saviour's precious blood, Cleanse me in its purifying flood...

Lord, I give to Thee my life and all, to be Thine, henceforth, eternally.

Words by Frances Ridley Havergal

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

the beauty of the aged.


I am starting to realize more and more that I find more beauty in something old than in something new... OF COURSE, that may not always be the case, but an ancient ruin, an old photograph of my grandparents in the 1920s (seen to the left), a worn down hillside, or a hymnal from 1885 tucked amidst other books in an antique shop more often catch my eye than the latest fashions in magazines, the newest edition of To Kill A Mocking Bird at Barnes and Nobel, or the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta on the last commercial I just saw. This past weekend I was able to visit some dear friends in Durham, NC. While there, I took some time to shop at some antique shops... that hymnal I mentioned before is no longer tucked amidst those other books... it lies open before me. I plan these next couple of weeks to post some of the words from the 271 hymns within. I hope they touch your soul as they are touching mine. I continue to be richly blessed by what other saints before me have penned about my Savior. Enjoy!

I Need Thee.

Blessed Saviour, my Redeemer, In thy mercy, hear my call;
How I need thy grace to keep me, Every moment, lest I fall.
Lord, I need thy hand to guide me Wheresoe'er my path may be;
O! I need thy love so tender, None can ever love like thee.
Bend thou thine ear, Thy promise all my plea; I need thy love, thy tender love
O! grant it, Lord, to me, O! grant it, Lord, to me.

Words by Frank Gould.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Saturday, February 5, 2011

does she look familiar to you?


Anybody remember Joy Williams? Didn't think so, let me remind you... blonde, CCM, By Surprise...? Ok, my friend Elizabeth Davis brought to my attention, she's the girl in The Civil Wars!!! I KNOW. Here is something I love about them...